Meeting a Higher Standard: A Case Study of Accessibility Compliance in LibGuides upon the Adoption of WCAG 2.0 Guidelines

Abstract

Abstract Libraries are cognizant of the need to follow accessibility guidelines and best practices in their web-mounted materials. This is of particular importance within the Canadian province of Ontario which, as of January 2021, requires organizations to conform their web-mounted content with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA criteria, an international standard for accessibility in online content and design. Currently, there is limited information examining the extent to which libraries comply within their web environments. This article adds to the literature through a case study of the web accessibility compliance of one academic library’s research guides found in Springshare’s LibGuides software platform and provides recommendations for changes needed at the author, organizational, and programmatic levels.